Federal 'POST Act' Mandates Quarterly Performance Reviews and Retraining for Contract Security Guards Protecting Government Buildings

If you’ve ever had to flash your ID to a security guard at a federal building, this bill is about the people standing between you and, well, everything else. The Personnel Oversight and Shift Tracking (POST) Act of 2025 is a no-nonsense effort to tighten up the performance and accountability of the contract security staff who protect properties managed by the General Services Administration (GSA).

Essentially, the Federal Protective Service (FPS) Director is being told to stop guessing and start measuring. Within one year, the FPS must create new processes to improve oversight, specifically focusing on data gathered from covert testing. This means setting up clear standards for collecting, keeping, and analyzing that data—identifying exactly why security tests fail and grouping the types of weaknesses found. If you’re a contractor, this is the government saying, “We’re not just testing you anymore; we’re analyzing the results quarterly to spot trends and fix systemic problems.”

The Data-Driven Security Overhaul

For the contract security staff themselves, the biggest change is the mandatory retraining clause. If a staff member fails a covert test, the contractor is required to create a mandatory training and performance improvement plan. The FPS Director then reviews this plan to ensure it’s actually going to prevent future failures. This provision hits the security personnel directly: no more just getting warned. You fail a test, you’re back in the classroom, learning updated security guidance based on real-world testing data and current threats. While this improves security for everyone who works in or visits a federal building, it definitely puts pressure on individual guards and the contractors who employ them, potentially raising administrative costs.

Fixing the Shift Tracking Headache

Beyond performance, the bill tackles a common operational headache: knowing who’s actually on duty. The FPS Director has 180 days to evaluate the current system used to track the availability of contract security personnel. This evaluation must decide if the existing system needs technical fixes or if it should be completely replaced with a more reliable platform—potentially a private sector option. The goal here is simple: ensure that federal buildings aren’t accidentally left exposed because of a glitchy tracking system.

Crucially, once the Director decides on a fix or replacement, they must create an implementation plan that includes a schedule and, most importantly, procedures to ensure building tenants receive timely and accurate information about any personnel shortages or resulting security coverage gaps. Think of this as the government promising to finally tell the tenants—the people who actually work in the building—if the night shift is short-staffed. This is a huge win for transparency and building safety.

The Fine Print on Employment Status

Finally, the POST Act includes a savings clause that’s important for both the government and the contractors. It explicitly states that implementing this Act does not change the legal status of contract security employees. They are still employees of the contractor, not federal employees. This provision cleanly avoids any confusion or legal challenges regarding federal benefits, pensions, or employment liability, ensuring the government isn't suddenly inheriting thousands of new federal workers just because it mandated better oversight.